With the official launch of 125.nd.edu, this morning began our digital celebration of 125 Years of Notre Dame Football. The site will tell the story of Notre Dame Football through writing, content from University of Notre Dame Archives, images and video.

In collaboration with AgencyND, Fighting Irish Digital Media will feature 125 “Strong and True” moments, released one per day throughout the next several months. The stories are inspired by the words “strong and true” from the Alma Mater, and will document strong feats of athletic achievement to true accomplishments of the head and the heart.

Today’s launch features four moments, beginning fittingly, with the first game in Notre Dame football history. The inaugural game took place on Nov. 23, 1887 against Michigan. In addition to photos from the University Archives, this moment includes an article about the game, first published in Scholastic, Notre Dame’s student magazine.

You may already be familiar with the other three moments, which debuted in April as a teaser during the week of the Blue-Gold game.

The second moment (#002) features a recent interview with President Emeritus Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., and tells the story of how he modernized the team’s travel during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. This Wednesday, the Irish will embark on one of their longest flights to date, when they depart South Bend Airport for Dublin, Ireland.

Even though these three moments launched first, we re-numbered the moments so that today’s story (the first game) is #001, rather than #004, as it would have if we had kept the original order. That being said, the moments are not going to be released with any particular ranking in mind.

Stay tuned each day on Twitter and check out the application that allows you to read and share each story without even leaving Facebook.

From never-been-told-before stories to good old-fashioned football highlights, there is a lot of exciting content coming over the next several months. Bookmark the page, and check back tomorrow morning for moment #005.

About Strong and True

Welcome to Strong and True, the official blog providing in-depth and exclusive access to Notre Dame football. With features, videos, photos, commentaries and news from inside the program, we are committed to bringing you coverage of the Fighting Irish unlike any you can find elsewhere.

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